From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum
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This article is about the production logos used by WTTW. For their station IDs, see WTTW IDs.
WTTW is a PBS affiliate located in Chicago, Illinois. It's one of the three PBS stations serving the Chicago area, with the other two being WYCC and WYIN.
1st Logo (1978-1988)
Nickname: "Flared WTTW", "The Chicago Skylines"
Logo: We back away from a drawing of the Chicago skyline at sunset from below. Then, pale purple-blue gradient flares shoot out, and the drawing fades to a black background. "WTTW" and "Chicago" zoom out in separate parts and connect, with "WTTW" seemingly "jumping" away from the viewer and shrinking, and "Chicago" just "zooming" away. The word "presents" then appears below the logo.
Variants:
A shorter version starts at the logo zooming out.
Another version omits "presents".
FX/SFX: The logo parts zooming out. Good Scanimation for the time.
Music/Sounds: A Moog synth background and a somber 5-note synth-violin theme.
Music/Sounds Variant: A rearranged variant of the short version exists.
Availability: Extremely rare. Originally appeared on The Frugal Gourmet, The McLaughlin Group, Sneak Previews, and PBS reruns of The Paper Chase. One specific tape that has the shorter version is a 1990 videocassette of The Frugal Gourmet: A Colonial Christmas with Friends (one of the last programs to use this) from Pacific Arts and PBS Home Video. The version without "presents" appeared on the first season of The Paper Chase.
Editor's Note: None.
2nd Logo (September 28, 1987-2006)
Nickname: "The Sphere"
Logo: On a black-blue gradient background, we see a close-up of a ball, which has the buildings of Chicago (you might spot WLS' old Sears Tower studio in the ball as well) in it. As it starts to zoom away from the viewer, "WTTW" and "Chicago", in Century Schoolbook, also zoom out, both tilted on their sides at first, but rotating while they zoom out. When the letters stop zooming out, the ball zooms out for a few more seconds before it dots the "i" in "Chicago".
FX/SFX: Stupendous 1980s CGI graphics; the logo even holds up for today.
Music/Sounds: A synthesized chime tune, in which was actually done on the Roland D-50 synthesizer with the "Fantasia" patch. However, on Paragon Entertainment videos of Lamb Chop’s Play-Along!, the music from the Paragon Entertainment Group logo can be heard after the PEG "Star P" logo is seen.
Music/Sounds Variants: Sometimes the first note is shorter and the last note is longer.
Availability: Common. Can be seen on Lamb Chop’s Play-Along! on PBS Kids. Also appeared on other shows produced by WTTW such as America by Design, The Frugal Gourmet, Handy Ma'am and The McLaughlin Group (which used this logo until 2006). Obviously, this logo can also be seen on old Sneak Previews episodes as well.
Editor's Note: None.
3rd Logo (1991-1993)
Logo: On a black-blue gradient background (much like the previous logo), the text "A PRESENTATION OF" (in Futura) and "WTTW/Chicago" (in Bodoni) slide in from opposite sides of the screen.
FX/SFX: Simple animation.
Music/Sounds: A two-note synth tune that sounds similar to the 80s WFSU jingle.
Availability: Hard to find. Only known to be seen as an alternate logo on early 90s episodes of The McLaughlin Group.
Editor's Note: None.
4th Logo (1998-2000)
Nickname: "Planet Earth", "Gaia"
Logo: On a background of the Earth, we see "WTTW Chicago" in Helvetica.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The end of the closing theme of The Kidsongs Television Show.
Availability: Rare; only used as an alternate logo for The Kidsongs Television Show.
Editor's Note: None.
5th Logo (1999-2006)
Nickname: "Swimming Pool"
Logo: On a water background, "WTTW" turns to face the viewer with a sun shining over the letters, which dies down by the time "Chicago" fades in.
FX/SFX: Simple, but nice animation.
Music/Sounds: A piano tune. A male announcer says "Produced in Chicago by WTTW." Handy Ma'am with Beverly DeJulio has its closing theme playing over it.
Availability: TBA.
Editor's Note: None.
6th Logo (2006-)
Nickname: "The Boring Logo"
Logo: We see the current WTTW logo, which is just "wttw multimedia" in a thin Helvetica font against a white background.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Just the closing theme playing over it.
Availability: Currently in use. Word World is one of the shows that has this logo.
Editor's Note: None.
7th Logo (2000's-)
Logo: A blue background opens up to show a white-tinted picture of Chicago's skyline, bordered by golden lines. "wttwN" zooms out and settles itself in front of the skyline. "national" appears below the "N".
FX/SFX: Not much, just the opening of the BG and the zooming out of the logo.
Music/Sounds: Four piano notes, backed up by guitar strumming.
Availability: Can be seen at the end of new McLaughlin Group episodes.
Editor's Note: None.
8th Logo (201?-)
TBA
9th Logo (2015-)
Logo: On a transparent white background, we see some people standing around the "Cloud Gate" Sculpture. We also see a transparent rainbow bar. "wttw" swings into place and "CHICAGO" appears below the bar.
